Chapter 32: The Exciting Eve of Success
[Chapter 32: The Exciting Eve of Success]
Hollywood overnight fame has ruined more minds than one can count.
People in the office area peeked out, whispered a few chuckles -- nothing unusual anymore.
Mord was fuming, defending the Godfather, "That damn call girl -- she better not screw up our movie."
Spike shook his head, "For now, no one's tempted by money. But word will spread fast in Hollywood. If she keeps up this attitude, no one will want to work with her."
Hollywood had its share of eccentric and hot-tempered actors. But they all knew when to humble themselves and who to bow down to.
Gore and Kevin Feige both nodded in agreement with Spike's view.
Etto leaned in, whispered, "Brother, will she spill our secrets?"
Charlie wasn't worried. "She can't threaten me. Only if Fox gets involved would it bring some trouble."
Needless to say, Fox would definitely back Charlie over Alicia.
Etto relaxed, and their focus turned to the rough cut.
...
Post-production was complicated, but big budget projects started it during filming.
Every day, they had to go to the lab to convert negatives into magnetic tapes or duplicate safety copies of the film.
The benefit was immediate editing to decide if any reshoots were needed.
Fifty Shades of Gray wasn't so lavish; the editing team only joined after filming wrapped.
Charlie wasn't very professional here; he let Spike, Gore, and Kevin Feige oversee the editing process.
It was a massive task -- nearly 100,000 feet of film to trim down to about 40,000 feet.
This involved syncing sound and picture, rough cuts, recording dialogue and narration, adding sound effects, and more.
Luckily, Fifty Shades of Gray involved almost no special effects -- only optical fades, freeze frames, and subtitles.
In earlier days, editing was literal cutting. Editors operated machines in dedicated editing rooms.
Before that, they used scissors and glue, peering at film against the sun.
Nowadays, software on computers handled it, even for film.
Thankfully, as producer, Charlie's job was just to watch the initial cuts.
...
As the movie played on the screen, people whispered their thoughts.
No foreign release was considered yet; no subtitles, no crew credits appeared.
First came the Corleone Studios logo -- a silhouette of a man with legs crossed, simple style, reminiscent of classic black and white films.
Etto was excited: "How's that, guys? I made it with your instructions and an animation studio. Now we're real filmmakers."
Charlie smiled, equally thrilled.
The film continued with interesting shots -- a wide view of the sunrise spreading over the earth. The camera moved from chaotic morning traffic to the calm, wealthy districts of Beverly Hills.
The contrast from dirty streets to paradise was striking.
"Spike's not just a benchwarmer," Charlie thought.
Through the mansion's glass, Rachel wore purple lingerie, a close-up showing her figure, then revealing scars.
Dressing herself, she angrily cursed as the camera pulled back to the strong back of the male lead.
Right from the start, the protagonist's identity and personality quirks were shown. Rachel's character couldn't stand the boyfriend and left, slamming the door.
The male lead took a private car following her; the camera tracked through busy streets until arriving at the Burbank Haas Building.
From across the street, the lead passed a yellow taxi, heading to a parking lot. Inside, snippets of his workday came through.
The scene paused -- the female lead and her best friend debated how great it was to leave that loser ex, while looking forward to an interview assignment.
...
A solid conservative opening storyline quickly introduced main characters and their dilemmas.
But the scene changes were intriguing. Charlie stroked his chin, realizing some were Gore's contributions. He couldn't help but compliment.
Knowing Gore Verbinski as a promising future director -- what a lucky find.
Suddenly, Charlie said, "Stop."
He glanced at Spike and the editor, "Do you think we should overlay the sounds of the leads' argument during the noisy street opening?"
Spike's eyes lit up, "Interesting idea -- it'll bring the wealthy people closer to the audience, showing that apart from their location, they're just like us."
"Exactly, good idea," Gore agreed. "It lets the audience's envy of the rich turn to disdain as the dirty argument continues."
Everyone quickly took notes on the editing script.
...
The movie played on; Charlie kept pointing out areas for improvement.
"Damn, the lead's acting is inconsistent here -- cut it."
"The first romantic date is too long. We're making a serious movie. These scenes might be better for the videotape market."
Exaggerated scenes could get the film an NC-17 rating, hurting box office returns.
"The runtime's too long. I want to get it down to about 90 minutes."
...
After several intense days, post-production for Fifty Shades of Gray was finally done.
Miramax and Mafia Distribution representatives joined a screening with the crew.
The atmosphere was good.
After the screening, some politely congratulated Charlie.
"Great movie, Godfather. Congrats -- Hollywood's got a new producer."
"Yeah, this film's hot and well done. We'll support it in theaters."
Exiting the theater, Harvey and Charlie linked arms -- the old rogue looked pleased.
"Nice work, Charlie. I'm confident that together with Pierza, we'll open in 2,000 theaters. Even in September, that's a solid launch."
The movie's promotions were already in full swing. From early research, Harvey felt this film would make money.
"The funding for Good Will Hunting is underway. Once Fifty Shades of Gray premieres, Whitesell will help you plan. You know, that film aims for the Oscars; finding the right director is tough. I hope to release it by next year's end."
In the parking lot, Harvey and Charlie discussed matters; then with a sly grin, Harvey nodded toward the distance.
"Alright, let me stop disturbing the wonderful enjoyment. Your British rose over there looks impatient."
"Yeah, I'm eager to celebrate early," Charlie laughed.
They waved goodbye to Harvey, Etto, and Kevin.
...
Charlie hurried to Rachel, dressed in a purple cocktail dress -- mysterious and captivating.
She was ecstatic, hugging Charlie the moment she got into the car.
"Honey, your movie is fantastic. It will definitely succeed! With this, I might land the big Universal blockbuster. Your career's taking off fast -- you're a Hollywood mogul, and I'll be a famous star."
Rachel was emotional, full of hope.
"Yes, absolutely," Charlie smiled and started the car. He wasn't always chauffeured.
Under early evening shadows, the car hadn't gone far when Charlie's expression darkened.
From the radio came a rhythmic voice singing mockingly,
♫ Your lover's legs were broken, blood on the floor,
You froze up stiff, couldn't handle the war.
Wimped out fast, legs faded like smoke,
She lay there hurt, and you just choked.
Clown in the frame, too shook to react,
You knelt for the press — never fought back. ♫
*****
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